The Chicago Bears most recent loss to the Cleveland Browns nearly ensured that the team would not be making the playoffs this season. The team has three games to play, and they could get to 8-9, which would be impressive after an 0-4 start, but it is not enough. Still, plenty of players have a lot on the line and a lot to play for in the final three games. Which players will be impacted the most?
3. Justin Fields is playing for a job with the Chicago Bears or elsewhere
Justin Fields may or may not be the Chicago Bears quarterback next year. If the Bears ran into the playoffs with momentum, he almost certainly would have been back, but that dream shattered in Cleveland. Fields played poorly against Cleveland, but that is the best defense in the NFL, and they are leaps and bounds better at home than on the road.
Fields got the wrong team at the wrong time. Still, he did not get completely exposed and made a few plays that kept the team in the game. His pressure-to-sack rate stayed down for the fourth straight game, and all signs point to massive improvement in almost every area for the third-year quarterback.
If the Chicago Bears did not have the Carolina Panthers' top pick, this may not be as much of a debate. However, now that the Bears have a chance to replace him, every throw will be overanalyzed for the next three games.
The good news is that Arizona will be the worst defense that Fields will face all season, and he gets them at home as a favorite. Justin Fields has to dominate this defense and show any team, the Bears, or a future team looking to add a quarterback, that he can still play.